Rare Book School has announced a new course: The History of Books and Printing in Korea (H-160). Renowned curator Beth McKillop of the Victoria and Albert Museum will conduct the course July 28 to August 2, 2019, at the Harvard-Yenching Library. The course will survey books in Korea since 700 CE, with contextual references to developments in China and Japan, and to parallels in the West.
Participants will learn about the conception, production, transmission, and consumption of traditional Korean books. Key topics include economic factors underlying woodblock printing and type casting, publishing, questions of authentication and cataloguing, texts and paratexts, book illustration, libraries and collections, and the history of scholarship.
In addition to using the collections of the Harvard-Yenching Library, participants will visit the Harvard Art Museums, Boston Museum of Fine Arts, and Harvard Library’s Weissman Preservation Center throughout the week.
This course is intended for anyone interested in the cultural history of the book in East Asia and is especially suitable for persons knowledgeable about other book cultures. Required readings are all in English, and knowledge of Korean, Chinese, or Japanese languages is not necessary.
Visit www.rarebookschool.org for course details, previous student evaluations, and instructions for applying.